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Monday, December 29, 2008

I Am Just Like Her

The woman with rotted teeth, matted hair and mumbling to herself in the store today, I am just like her.

The woman who seems so together with stylish clothes and fashionable hairstyles (but who is falling apart on the inside), I am just like her.

The woman who cries herself to sleep every night and puts on a happy face for her family, I am just like her.

The woman who is always sarcastic and caustic and critical to the dismay of all around her, I am just like her.

The woman who struggles with temptations and addictions and grieves deeply over her own sinfulness, I am just like her.

The woman who feels like no one really cares if she disappears tomorrow, I am just like her.

The woman who sells herself to strange men and finds herself addicted to drugs to numb the pain in her heart, I am just like her.

The woman who finds herself single and pregnant, I am just like her.

The woman who struggles with whether or not she's a good parent setting good examples, I am just like her.

The woman who finds it easier to laugh during painful trials than it is to cry, I am just like her.

The woman who is notorious for her gossip and story telling to bring other people down, I am just like her.

The woman who sits in judgement of others because she's not where they are, I am just like her.

The woman who suddenly sees her own sin in light of the glory of God and then cries out for forgiveness, I am just like her.

You know, it is so remarkably easy to look at the outside and judge other people, even if we don't realize that's what we're doing. The moment we allow our minds to even begin to form an opinion of a person based on outward appearance, we're already judging them. Slob, junkie, hooker, gossip, arrogant, unfit mother, uncaring, and on and on it goes. The truth of the matter is however, we are all the same on the inside; sinners struggling with sin in a sin-laden world. Some of us (purely by His grace) realize this is what we are, while some go through their entire lives never knowing forgiveness, never knowing grace, never experiencing agape love. Some of us know what our besetting sins are, and some just give in because the world says it's okay, or that's just the way it is.

At the end of the day, I am no different from any of those kinds of women I mention above, except for one thing: God's astounding grace and mercy in my life. I'm not a big New Year's Resolution maker (or keeper) but if I had one to make for 2009, it would be that I would be less eager to form an opinion of someone (love believes all things, right?) based on outside appearances, and more eager to show them the same kind of grace and compassion shown to me by my precious Lord.